'You may never wake up': Why carbon monoxide detectors can save your life

Carbon monoxide (CO)is a silent killer that you can't see, smell or taste,which iswhyit's the law to have detectors in all Ontario homes.

But one day aftera two-year-old girl and her parents were treated for CO poisoning inEtobicoke, some have wondered why they aren't mandatory in non-residential buildings.

SarahHendershottis a parent who isn't sure why this safety measure hasn't been implemented in Toronto's public schools.

• Family rushed to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning

"I'm surprised that they haven't already, to be honest," she said.

At this point, the fire code is dealing with residential properties.- Capt. Ron Jones, Toronto Fire Services

In an email to CBC News, a communications officer with the Toronto District School Board, Ryan Bird, acknowledged that the board does not have CO detectors in its schools.

"We have carbon monoxide detectors in our Outdoor Education Centres as students sleep there, but I don't believe they're located anywhere else in the board."

The requirement for COdetectors falls under the fire code, which is enforced across Ontario. The law calls for alarms in all areas where people sleep, including child-care centresand old-age residences.

'Charges could be laid'

"Toronto Fire Services has a zero tolerance when it comes to fire code infractions, when there's imminent life safety issuessuch as missing or disabled alarms," Capt. Ron Jones told CBC News. "Charges could be laid."

In Chicago, 5,000 detectors were recently installed inschools after one incident. They're also mandatory in schools in Maryland and California.

"At this point, the fire code is dealing with residential properties," Jones said.

While Joneswouldn't delve into why these life-saving detectors aren't necessary in schools, apart from the fact people aren't meant to be sleeping there, he did say having one is a cost-effective safety measure.

If people are spending hundreds to thousands of dollars to insurance their belongings with home insurance, Jones said why not take the extra step to better protect their lives with a CO monitor?

"This is anywhere between $23 and $35 for a 10-year period," he said while holding up a detector. "Do the math, [it's]very inexpensive," Jones added.

"If you have a carbon monoxide event at night, you may never wake up."